Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Many of us have well established morning rituals that we have practiced countless times before to welcome the new day. Whether these rituals are brief or complex, quick or lengthy, they are deeply personal and requisite for feeling ready for whatever lies ahead in the new day.

Evening routines, on the other hand, are much less common. How many of us have a ritual we perform at the close of the day to prepare us for a restful night? Good nightly sleep is vital to overall health and to productive days. Should we not, therefore, take as much care with the beginning of our nights as we do with the beginning of our days?

Since most morning rituals include a warm beverage, we will need one for our evening routine. Being naturally caffeine-free, our Organic Lavender Chamomile Tea is an ideal companion for the evening.

The flowery combination
of the finest organic Egyptian chamomile flowers grown in the Nile Delta
and our own organically grown “Provence” culinary lavender will help
you relax and unwind. The aromatic and flavorful chamomile is naturally
caffeine-free and is an excellent calming and soothing herbal tea. The
similar properties of lavender make this unique herbal tea blend —
relaxing and comforting.

Its calming effect will also
help reduce stress and anxiety, making it one of the best
teas to enjoy when settling down for a good night’s sleep. This aromatic and relaxing caffeine-free tea brews to a light golden color and has a natural floral sweetness.

A Calming Evening Ritual

Best performed near bedtime to aid sleep.

Step 1 : Turn off the screen

All of them! That means the TV, computer, tablet, phone, etc. This is a time to pause the constant stream of content we encounter in our modern lives. This is a time to slow the pace at which we are moving, thinking and processing and begin to prepare for the quiet pace the body and mind need for the night.

Step 2: Lower the lights

Reducing the lighting at home in the evenings will help queue your internal clock that it's time to prepare for sleep. Following its circadian rhythm, the body can respond to bright light in the same way it does to the rising sun – it's time to get up (or stay up in this case)!

Step 3: Brew a cup of Organic Lavender Chamomile Tea

Bring freshly drawn cold water to a rolling boil.

Use one teaspoon of whole leaf Organic Lavender Chamomile Tea for each cup desired.

Pour boiling water over tea and let it steep for 3-6 minutes according to taste.

Remove tea and enjoy.

Step 4: Spend the next 30 minutes slowly

Curl up with a blanket and spend some time reading a favorite book. Or, perhaps, gather loved ones on the couch and talk about the day that has past and the day that is approaching. A lavender bath might be up your alley. Or, bundle up and watch the stars with your hot tea in hand. Whatever you do, let it be something that slows the evening and promotes a sense of calm.

To sleeping well!

Carrie from Texas"So relaxing for my evening cup of
tea! My sister loves the tea so much too!!! I gave her some tins as a
gift and she is hooked!"

Autumn from Washington"This tea is a delicious healthy beverage that I love to drink before bed. I use one teaspoon for a pot of tea and steep it for 30 minutes. Its soothing taste and aroma helps me relax after a long day."

Wednesday, January 23, 2019

Our lavender farm is located in the rural countryside of San Juan Island in the Pacific Northwest. Many of our staff also live in the country and use wood stoves to heat their homes in the winter. Hours have been spent this fall in splitting and stacking firewood in preparation for the task of carrying armloads of wood inside to the fireplace all winter.

While this may sound romantic, it's hard work, and sticky sap-covered hands are often an unfortunate problem when handling these forest riches.

You may know from experience how stubborn and tacky sap can be. If you look up “how to remove sap from your hands” you’ll get all kinds of suggestions for household remedies including rubbing peanut butter, Crisco, toothpaste, nail polish remover, bug spray or WD-40 all over your hands!

Removing this tacky substance doesn’t have to be as unpleasant as these options sound. Not when there is a much better smelling, all-natural alternative – Organic Lavender Essential Oil. One of lavender's least known attributes is that of being a highly effective organic solvent. It will rapidly help remove grease, glues and paint from various surfaces all the while with a much more pleasant (and safer to smell) odor than other chemical solvents.

Our Organic Lavender Essential Oil will readily dissolve the sap left on wood-hauling hands, leaving no gluey residue behind. Simply apply a drop or two of undiluted, pure lavender essential oil to the hands** and rub together. Once hands are no longer sticky, wash with soap and warm water.

** Note: Lavender Essential Oil is one of the few pure, essential oils that can be applied directly to the skin with no ill effects.

For targeting areas more directly, we offer our pure, organically certified lavender essential oil in elegant spill-proof, roll-on bottles for convenient application directly to the skin. To ensure optimum quality, all our essential oil is Certified Organic by Washington State Department of Agriculture and distilled right here on the farm exclusively from the lavender flowers we grow ourselves here in our own fields.

Have you used lavender essential oil as a solvent? Share your story in the comments below.

Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Oh, l'amour! Nothing sets the mood quite like the warm glow of candle light and some soft music.

Actually, in a famous study conducted by Dr. Alan R. Hirsch of the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago*, certain scents were found to stimulate arousal more than others. Dr Hirsch revealed one of the most notable scents for sexual arousal (especially for increasing penile blood flow in men) was lavender! Interested in the concept, read the study.

The science behind it might not seem so sexy, but you may find that working lavender into your romantic evening may help things get steamy, faster.

Using Lavender as an Arousal Stimulant

For those of us with sweethearts, Valentine's Day brings a welcome excuse to warm our hearts with a little romance. If you're pining about what to do for your love this holiday, we put together a sensual itinerary featuring the scent and taste of lavender for a fairytale evening together in the comfort of your own home.
Oh, la la!

Start the Evening by Sharing Some Lavender Chocolates

Chocolates are well-known for their endorphin-increasing qualities. Imagine what adding a touch of lavender to these already-stimulating treats will contribute to your evening plans with your sweetheart.

Warm Your Bodies with a Therapeutic Lavender Massage

A gentle massage can improve circulation and lower blood pressure, which may help you relax and increase healthy blood flow to more fully enjoy the tender moments in the bedroom with your partner.

Our handcrafted Lavender Massage Oil is designed to warm quickly in the hand and absorb slowly into the skin, allowing for a longer, more luxurious and sensual massage.

Elevate the ambience with a lavender-scented candle or two. We make candles in a variety of sizes and styles, and all of our candles are handcrafted using lead-free wicks and the finest soy waxes, along with our own farm-distilled organic essential oil, not the cheaper and far more common artificial "fragrance" or "essence."

Wash Off in a Romantic Candlelit Lavender Bubble Bath

Round out the evening with a wash in the bath to rinse off any lingering oil and leave your skin feeling soft, supple, scented and ready for your lover's caress.

Try our very bubbly and aromatic Lavender Bubble Bath, which is packaged in a 40% post recycled glass bottle. When you run out, we offer refills so you can reuse the beautiful glass bottle again and again. Don't forget, of course, to stage some candles near the bath to continue the ambience.

We hope you enjoy some of this sensual itinerary with your romantic partner this holiday. Happy Valentine's Day to you and the love in your life!

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Shaving can be an uncomfortable and unpleasant experience for some. This is often due to the irritating synthetic fragrances, drying alcohols and lathery foams found in many shaving products that tend to deplete the skin of its own natural protective oils. In particular, sensitive facial skin that is more frequently shaved needs extra care.

Lavender Shaving Gel

Using a shaving gel in place of more common shaving foam products is beneficial for a multitude of reasons. Based on a blend of skin nourishing oils like coconut and olive oils, our Lavender Shaving Gel softens facial hair prior to shaving, making for a smoother shaving experience. Shaving gel provides a sleek layer between the skin and the razor blade creating a surface with ample glide for the blade. This helps to lessen nicks and razor burn.

This luxurious layer also assists in the prevention of moisture loss by supplying the skin with the nourishing benefits of aloe vera, shea butter and the natural antiseptic and topical anesthetic benefits of lavender essential oil that are uniquely suited to help instantly manage those nicks that inevitably periodically accompany this everyday act of grooming.

Lavender After Shave

Following up a gentle, protective and nourishing shave with a calming, soothing and cooling after shave lotion will help to prevent ingrown hairs and further reduce the possibility of skin irritation, especially for very sensitive skin. With organic lavender essential oil and aloe vera gel as the first ingredients, our Lavender After Shave is designed to sooth and moisturize freshly shaven skin.

Paired with the benefits of natural witch hazel in place of alcohol and the topical anesthetic effects of lavender essential oil, our after shave will help to arrest any bleeding, alleviate pain and speed the healing process of any cuts from a dull blade or hasty strokes. The skin will benefit overall from the natural antiseptic quality of lavender essential oil by reducing skin bacteria and keeping pores clean.

Tips for achieving a successful lavender shave:

Start with a sharp blade. A dull blade will not glide as easily across the skin or slice through coarse hairs as well. Often dull blades will act as an abrasive to skin and snag or incompletely cut facial hairs. This can produce a great deal of skin irritation as well as nicks and cuts and perpetuate the probability of razor burn and ingrown hairs.

Warm facial hair with a hot, moist washcloth before applying shaving gel. This will help to open hair follicles to better receive hair softening ingredients.

Wet the skin with warm water and dispense one pump of shaving gel onto finger tips. Warm the shaving gel by rubbing between hands. Apply the shaving gel in upward strokes, ensuring it is well distributed across the skin surface. Allow to sit for 30 seconds to one minute.

Shave in slow, gentle strokes with the grain of hair growth. Passing over the same area as few times as possible. Rinse with tepid water and pat dry with a soft, clean towel.

Shake the bottle of after shave vigorously prior to dispensing. Putting a quarter size amount in the palm of your hand, rub your hands together to coat both palms. Gently press the after shave into the skin, avoiding harsh rubbing. Your skin will feel refreshed, soothed and gently moisturized.

Wednesday, January 2, 2019

We love topping our holiday meals with cranberry sauce, but it seems like we overshoot how much we need every year (especially as our family - and our table portions - continue to grow)! As we move away from holiday dishes that typically call for this favorite jelly, we find ourselves wondering what to do with all our leftover cranberry sauce. We love how it's sweet and tart flavor tops the salty turkey at Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we thought we'd put it to use over a savory family favorite - pork chops! We added a pinch of our organic culinary lavender buds and found ourselves with a delicious success that we now plan to add to our post-holiday meal plan every year.

Heat your olive oil on medium-high heat in a sauce pan or large iron skillet. (The pan needs to be large enough to hold the liquids later for the reduction sauce.)

Place meat in the pan, allowing it to sear for approximately 4 minutes on each side.

Remove meat from pan, cover with foil, and set aside.

Slowly add the wine mixture to the hot pan and leave to simmer until the garlic is soft and the crispy pork fond (the little brown bits left in the pan) releases from the bottom of the pan.

Swirl in the butter a little at a time, whisking briskly as you go until the sauce is reduced to 1/2 and is thick and dark, about 8 minutes. The butter will make the sauce silky and round out the flavors.

Generously top your pork chops with the sauce and enjoy!

Some Notes About Cooking with Lavender

Lavender is in the same family as rosemary. It lends itself very nicely to savory dishes. When cooking with lavender, you want to be sure to only use lavender labeled for culinary purposes, otherwise your dish will tend to be bitter or overly floral from its pungent essential oils. Also keep in mind that because of its strong flavor, a little goes a long way! Indulging in too many buds will also have the same undesired effect. If you want to learn more about cooking with lavender, we have lots more information here.

If you're interested in trying more delectable meals, sides, sauces, and desserts with lavender, you'll enjoy skimming through all the recipes in our Lavender Cookbook.

We hope you'll try this dish, share it with family and friends, and maybe even make it a new holiday tradition to put some of that extra cranberry sauce to good use every year - we certainly intend to! Enjoy!